They say that the book is always better than the movie, well, that surely was the case with this film. “The 13th Warrior,” a film inspired by the best-selling novel, “Eaters of the Dead”, ultimately became recognized as one of the biggest movie flops in the history of the industry. The film performed quite poorly at the box office, earning an estimated $61.7 million. With an extravagant budget of $160 million, it lost as much as $190 million, when adjusted for inflation. No profit here.
Perhaps its creators should have seen the omens, as the film’s production was anything but smooth sailing — the title changes, re-edits, and re-cuts weren’t enough to make this movie as successful as they envisioned. The movie’s failure was so disheartening to one of its actors, Omar Sharif, that it caused him to go on a 3-year-long career hiatus.
Estimated loss: $129 million
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Featuring epic performances of Hollywood legends such as Christopher Plummer, Alec Guinness, and the crowds-favorite, Sophia Loren, today the film is considered to be one of the best “sword-and-sandal” movies of all times. It also broke records, with a 92,000 m2 replica of the Roman Forum, it was the largest outdoor film set in the history of the film industry.
Despite all the accolades for the film's script, direction, and acting, its box office performance fell disappointingly short. It wasn't nearly enough to cover the costs of its extravagant state-of-the-art production, not to mention the additional marketing costs. When adjusted for inflation, the film lost a brutal $126 million. As the case with other now-famous films, even with the biggest names in the game, and the most renowned directors and producers, huge production costs can absolutely put a damper on a movie's box office success.
Estimated loss: $14 million
The Mummy (2017)
"The Mummy" is the worst movie Tom Cruise has ever made, hands down. No contest. Universal’s had its share, but as a horror flick, it did pretty bad. They pulled it from over 800 theaters in its third weekend. In "The Mummy" (2017) Nick Morton (Cruise) is a U.S. soldier and a raider (and seller) of ancient relics who gest possessed by an ancient evil Egyptian, previously mummified, princess demoness.
The only winner here is Tom Cruise who busted through his worldwide premiere record — "The Mummy" is his career-top global opening at $169.3 million. It grossed $410 million. It seems almost respectable at first glance. Universal’s production budget was $195 million, although the total production costs added up to $345 million after ads and marketing.
Estimated loss: $95 million
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
"Conan the Barbarian," a remake of the 1982 cult film of a fictional hero, combined both concepts moviegoers, had grown sick of. Another problem was that while Jason Momoa, who played the lead. While he had the physique to match that of Arnold Schwarzenegger's original 1982 portrayal, it was as if he was walking with muddy boots on holy grounds. Schwarzenegger, along with the thick Austrian he still had back then, had become synonymous with the role, and Momoa's portrayal of Conan was nothing less than blasphemous to the fans of the 1982 classic.
Thanks to the Russians, who are usually big fans of sword and sandal films, they were able to scrap up nearly $10 million, which was their highest overseas gross. As for everyone else, this movie passed them by, and producers said bye-bye to over $60 million.
Estimated loss: $60-66 million
Cutthroat Island (1995)
If you like pirate movies and the eponymous pirate attraction at the land of Disney, then you may just love it. With Geena Davis bringing Morgan Adams, the sword-slashing, musket-wielding pirate(ess) to life, it’s an irreverent adventure comedy. Still, for MGM and United Artists, it’s called a box office bomb. It did so poorly that it frightened film companies away from the genre for years until "Pirates of the Caribbean" came along.
The box office totaled $18.3 million. Put that next to the production budget of $98 million and you’ll find the bottom line. "Cutthroat Island" lost about $143 million. On-site filming in the gorgeous, see-through blue tropical seas and all those exciting explosions sure adds up… To one of the biggest movie flops known to the big screen.